hypoglycemia vs hyperglycemia

In this article, we will try to understand one important diabetic terminology which will help us to manage this problem effectively.
If you want to cope up with any problem, I will suggest you to not panic and research about that problem thoroughly. Your deep understanding about the subject will help you to deal with the problem effectively.

So in this article, we will try to understand about Hypoglycemia vs Hyperglycemia.
Both the terminologies are important as diabetics face this condition on daily basis, so let’s get started with the article.

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Hypoglycemia vs Hyperglycemia
a. Hypoglycemia is a condition in which the blood sugar of diabetic fall below the normal level.
If your blood sugar goes below 75, you are in the hypoglycemic zone, which means that your blood has an insufficient amount of glucose.

Now there are lots of contrarian belief among diabetics regarding the hypoglycemic numbers. Some believes that numbers below 85 mg/dl are low, while others believe that even 78mg/dl is a normal number

According to Dr. Richard Bernstein, blood sugar of 83mg/dl is considered normal and there are people whose blood sugar stays around 76-80 without any problem.
So if you are in the blood sugar range of 76-80, you are not in the condition of Hypoglycemia, but note that at this range you are at high risk of getting low blood sugar so make sure to test your blood sugar frequently.

Can hypoglycemia cause any danger?
Hypoglycemia is a dangerous situation for diabetics.
Even in short duration of hypoglycemic episode, a diabetic can lose consciousness and may even die.
My mother was Type 1 diabetic and she died due to a hypoglycemic episode. One night she overdoses herself with insulin, due to that she ran into hypoglycemia at midnight. By the time we took her to the hospital, she was declared dead.

b. Hyperglycemia is a condition in which your blood sugars are higher than normal range.
Though many diabetics consider blood sugar above 180mg/dl as hyperglycemia, it’s important to note that as your blood sugar goes beyond 130 mg/dl, your body starts getting damaged due to excess sugar in your blood stream.

Is Hyperglycemic condition dangerous?
Well, hyperglycemia will not pose any immediate danger like Hypoglycemia, but in long term, it causes irreversible damage to the body organs.
if you fail to control your blood sugar in the normal range, after some years you may get complications like
–> Neuropathy (damage of nerves)
–> Retinopathy (eye damage)
–> Kidney Failure
–> Sexual Problems in Men
–> Tooth Decay
–>Amputations
–> Memory Loss
–> Heart Failure

All these issues are painful and irreversible.
Most of the diabetic don’t pay attention to their high blood sugar, they feel that they are doing all right. At this point you may not find any issue with your body but after 5-10 years, the damage will start getting ap[parent and you may need multiple surgeries to deal with the health issues

Signs of Hyper and Hypoglycemia
We are lucky that our body gives different signs to make us aware of the abnormal blood sugar flowing in the body.

Don’t start checking your blood sugar when you feel the above symptoms.
With Hypoglycemia, every second is important; you can get unconscious if you fail to treat the symptoms on time.
Always carry glucose tablets or some candes in your pocket so that whenever you feel the above condition, you can pop these items easily.

Hypoglycemia Unawareness
It’s important to note that there are some people whose body don’t give any warning signals of Hypoglycemia.
This is a very difficult condition as the above-mentioned symptoms are an effetive way to deal with this low sugar condition.

People develop Hypoglycemia unawareness due to factors like
–>Severe Neuropathy: Their nerves have been damaged so much that now their body fails to recognize hypoglycemia
–> Some medications (of heart problems) can severely impact the body ability to detect hypoglycemia
–> Taking High dose of insulin

The above-mentioned point impacts the development of hormones (namely epinephrine) which is known to produce warning signs of Hypoglycemia.

So for these patients its important for them to check their blood sugar after insulin injection. I will suggest you to check the blood sugar for every 4 hours after taking insulin.

Now if you can’t bear the hassle of multiple blood sugar checking, you can buy continuous glucose monitoring device which can track your blood sugar every minute.

Other best thing you can do is to follow LCHF (low carb high fat diet). With this diet it gets extremely easy to predict your blood sugar.

Hyperglycemia is more difficult to detect as long as your blood sugar goes beyond 250.
As I said earlier, that diabetic should always keep their blood sugar at least below 130 mg/dl, and to achieve that eating low carb foods and frequent sugar test are the only options

RISKS
a. Hypoglycemia Risk
The risk associated with hypoglycemia is immense and can prove fatal for your well being.
–> Losing consciousness and convolutions
–> Mental Confusion hampers your professional work
–> Driving Accidents due to hypoglycemia (Accidents occur when diabetic patients lose consciousness while driving)
–> Death

a. Hypoglycemia
The universal solution to manage blood sugar is to eat low carbs. The less carb you put in the body, the less insulin you need and you have more control over blood sugar.
Try to follow a regime of 6-12-12 carbs (breakfast-lunch-dinner) in your daily routine and you will have less incidence of hypoglycemia.

Let’s suppose you still get into Hypo condition, it is suggested to do following measures
–>Take glucose tablets/candy
Glucose tablets are the best way to treat diabetic lows as they pass through the gut frequently and raise blood sugar in no time.

–>Glucagon injections
These injections are useful when you lose consciousness. These injections cause the liver to convert stored glycogen into glucose in no time.
Treating unconscious person with sugary food is not a good strategy as the food can get stuck in the windpipe and can cause a lot of trouble

–> Do not overeat
Some diabetic take the liberty of eating everything during a hypoglycemic episode.
This is not a good strategy as it can raise blood sugar to a high level causing damage to body organs

–> Check blood sugar before driving
Always check your blood sugar before driving. This strategy can save your life and the life of people around you.

b. Hyperglycemia
if you have high blood sugar, adopt following strategy
–> Take insulin
–> Drink lots of water so that the excess sugar can pass through the urine
–>Go for a walk

Final Word
As I have said earlier, you can save yourself from this trouble by following diets that are low in carbohydrates and frequently testing the blood sugar.

Disclaimer

This website is not a replacement for doctor consultation. The content is all about my experiences, research, and experimentation.
Please consult your doctor immediately if you are facing any medical condition